Thunder is making some noise

Tuesday

May 14, 2013 at 12:01 AM

Rolling like the Thunder with these random thoughts for a Tuesday:

Bob Highfill

Rolling like the Thunder with these random thoughts for a Tuesday:

» The Thunder, 8-1 in one-goal games in these playoffs, are heading to the Kelly Cup Finals for the first time and will play the Reading Royals beginning Saturday in Reading, Pa. For owner Brad Rowbotham, team president Dan Chapman and coach Matt Thomas, the postseason run, as exciting as it's been, won't be complete without that Kelly Cup. Stockton is a hot team with a hot goalie, Olivier Roy.

» Former Lincoln High and Oregon football standout DeWitt Stuckey started a scholarship fund in honor of his late friend and high school teammate Andrew Cox, who died after a motorcycle accident in 2010. On Monday, the first scholarship was awarded to Trojans senior Theron Palmer at a ceremony at The Reserve at Spanos Park. A classy and touching tribute.

» Franklin graduate and former Delta softball coach Pete Turner will take San Jose State to its first NCAA softball tournament appearance since 1992. The Spartans, champs of the Western Athletic Conference regular-season and postseason tournament titles, play Friday at No. 5 Arizona State.

» No votes for any Warriors player on the NBA All-Defensive Team, Mark Jackson was seventh in Coach of the Year voting, Bob Myers was seventh in Executive of the Year voting and Harrison Barnes received zero votes for Rookie of the Year. That's OK. The Warriors are earning respect where it matters: on the court. Their Western Conference semifinal with San Antonio is tied 2-2 with Game 5 today in San Antonio.

» Yoenis Cespedes and Brandon Moss hit back-to-back homers Monday against Texas. Moss' was the 7,000th in Oakland history. The Rangers are in Oakland this week for the first time since October, when the A's swept their three-game series to win the division and advance to the playoffs.

» 49ers wide receiver Quinton Patton missed his flight from Nashville to the Bay Area and arrived four hours late to rookie minicamp last week. Patton was tardy because he couldn't find his driver's license in time to make the flight. Ironically, two days after he was drafted, Patton was so anxious to get in uniform, he paid for his own plane ticket and rental car in hopes of reporting for duty with the 49ers. Per league rules, Patton was told he had to return home, as rookies weren't allowed at team facilities prior to last Thursday.

» Sergio Garcia got all worked up when the gallery reacted as Tiger Woods pulled a club from his bag early in the second round of The Players Championship on Saturday. Garcia was distracted and intimated Woods' actions were deliberate and unsportsmanlike. Could you imagine if NFL quarterbacks or Major League Baseball players acted in similar fashion? The cultures of the sports are completely different, but still, come on.